University hockey team turns game into fundraiser
WebPosted Wed, 16 Nov 2005 12:27:31 EST
CBC Sports

Hockey players at Saint Mary's University are dedicating their upcoming game to a paralysed player.

* RELATED: CBC Nova Scotia

The team is using Wednesday night's game against the Université de Moncton at the Halifax Forum as a fundraiser for Sebastien Savage.

Savage, a member of Moncton's Aigles Bleus, suffered a severe spinal fracture during a game with the Acadia Axemen on Oct. 22.

* FROM OCT. 25, 2005: CIS hockey player paralysed

He was chasing the puck into a corner behind an Acadia player. When that player fell down, Savage tripped and flew head first into the boards. He sat on the ice without moving for 20 minutes before being carried off in a stretcher.

The 24-year old is now paralysed from the chest down. He's receiving medical treatment in Ottawa, near his hometown of Saint-Albert.

The Saint Mary's team is holding a raffle during Wednesday's game, with all money going in support of Savage.

The Moncton team has also been fundraising. So far, more than $15,000 has been raised to help offset the Savage family's expenses.

"The parents are really overwhelmed and they said that thank you is not a good enough word to thank everybody for all the support they got. They're just very touched by all the gestures," said Linda Schofield, spokesperson for the Université de Moncton.